1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an infrared roasting oven and, more particularly, to an apparatus, system and process for cooking food items, particularly meats.
2. Description of the Prior Art
This application is directed to an improvement of my U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,373,777 and 5,560,285, both entitled Roasting Oven. The instant invention more particularly relates to an infrared roasting oven particularly adapted for the rapid cooking of small pieces of food, particularly, meats having a weight of approximately fifty grams, including for example chicken wings. The instant invention also differs from all known prior art in that the food to be cooked is tossed and tumbled as opposed to skewered, during the cooking process. As such, the food, while exposed to high intensity infrared elements, is contained within the metal grill like baskets and the system axis rotates said wire-mesh baskets.
Other prior art, as known to the within inventor, includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,540 (1993) to Riccio, entitled Cooking Apparatus with Rotisserie. The teaching thereof is essentially that of a rotisserie oven in which the spit rotates at a greater rate than the drive member thereof. Riccio also employs a reclamation trap located between the spit to recover juices produced during the cooking of food therein.
The prior art is also represented by U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,857 (1982) to Best, entitled Infrared Gas Grill, the teaching of which relates to a grill assembly primarily in the nature of a smoking system. Best differs from the instant invention in that it employs a process of open cooking, that is, a grill-type system. As such, Best relies solely upon convection of heat for the cooking process, whereas the present invention, as is more fully set forth below, employs a combination of convective and radiant infrared energy, and a narrow window of continuous atmospheric communication, for effective function thereof.
Other art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,516 (1980) to Friedl, entitled Barbecue Oven, this oven commercially known as the Hart Rotisserie. This structure does not employ a heat chamber notwithstanding its use of infrared burners therein. The system of Friedl exhausts gas and heat through a flue, this in distinction to the within inventive structure which circulates high BTU value air within a cooking envelope but does not positively discharge heated air to the atmosphere. Further, Freidl does not employ compressive high temperatures within an extreme heat chamber at the top of the cooking chamber, thereby creating cooking zones, that is, high temperature versus lower temperature but high thermal value cooking regions are not present in the structure or function of Freidl. cl SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present roasting oven system includes a plurality of elongate food holding wire mesh baskets, each having an axis of rotation defined by left and right axial means secured to respective end walls of the baskets. The system also includes a housing having respective upper, lower, front, back, left end, and right end walls defining, in combination, a hollow interior envelope having a substantially concave upper surface thereof, said housing including, within at least one of said front or rear walls thereof, a movable panel for selectably removing and inserting said elongate baskets into said housing and upon journal means within end plates at each opposite end wall of said housing At least one of said front or rear walls further includes a narrow opening to thereby provide a continuous and uninterrupted communication between said hollow interior envelope and the atmosphere. The system also includes at least one elongate infrared radiation element situated within said envelope of said housing, in which radiation thereof is directed generally toward a center of the interior envelope of said oven. Yet further included is a system axle journalled between said housing end walls, located proximally to said center of said walls, and also positioned between one and two basket diameters from said infrared radiation element, in which said axle is rigidly secured to said end plates upon which said baskets are journalled. A drive means is coupled to said system axle for effecting rotational movement of said end plates and said baskets journalled therein. Said drive means enables the passing of food products within said baskets through an arc or rotation and thereby into a zone of intensified temperature generally defined by said substantially concave upper surface of said housing.
It is an object of the invention to provide an infrared roasting oven, having zones of high, intermediate, and lower temperature, while employing a high thermal value internal atmosphere.
It is another object to provide an infrared roasting oven particularly adapted for the quick cooking of small pieces of foods, such as chicken wings, and cubes of meats.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an infrared roasting oven which relies upon a balance of duration of exposure of the food to high infrared, high temperature radiant energy and exposure to high thermal value, but lower temperature, ambient heating to thereby achieve quick food cooking without loss of the natural taste and juices thereof.
It is a still further object to provide an infrared roasting oven of the above type, which continually tumbles the food to be cooked while providing continuous atmospheric communication and, thereby, cooked food, which retains a high degree of tenderness without loss of flavor or moisture otherwise associated with rapid cooking processes.
The above and yet other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the hereinafter set forth Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description of the Invention, and Claims appended herewith.